Buckeyes riding high before Saturday showdown at home

Ohio State Head coach Jim O'Brien wouldn't say that he is surprised to be tied with IU at the top of the Big Ten standings. But going into tomorrow's showdown with the Hoosiers at Value City Arena in Columbus with the conference lead on the line, O'Brien said he is happy with what his team has done so far.\n"We've been living a little bit of a charmed existence," O'Brien said this week. "We've had some good wins and we've had some games that we've been fortunate to win. These next couple of weeks are going to be tough for us."\nThe Buckeyes (13-2, 4-0) have used stellar defense and a balanced scoring attack to join IU (11-5, 4-0) as the only undefeated teams in the conference. Ohio State knocked off Penn State Wednesday night, 76-57, to set this matchup.\nIn the past two years, O'Brien has lost most of the players who helped the Buckeyes reach the 1999 Final Four. Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd were gone after the 2000 season. \nLast season, O'Brien and OSU said goodbye to Ken Johnson, who led the Big Ten with more than four blocked shots per game. Johnson finished his career as the Buckeyes' all-time blocks leader. This season, O'Brien and Ohio State have had to adjust to life without a dominant big man.\n"We've all been spoiled by that," O'Brien said. "We've had to change our approach. We've had to really sell our guys on that. Guys are taking charges more often."\nOffensively, the Buckeyes have four guys averaging more than 10 points per game, led by senior guard Brian Brown, who is averaging 14.5 points and four rebounds per game. Brown is the last Buckeye who saw significant action on the Final Four team three years ago.\nBoban Sabovic is one of the Buckeyes' best long range shooters, averaging 12.5 points per game. Brent Darby and Zach Williams are also scoring in double figures with Williams leading the team in rebounding from his forward position.\nOhio State's offensive balance is reason for concern, but IU Head coach Mike Davis can't help but notice the Buckeyes' defense is the best in the Big Ten. Ohio State is giving up only 58 points per game this season.\n"Offensively they're probably second to none at getting guys open," Davis said. "Defensively, they're doing a great job this year."\nThe Hoosiers are third in scoring defense. \nAlso, the Buckeyes and IU are both in the middle of the league in scoring per game. Both teams have had their success by playing well on both ends of the court. \n"I really believe that Indiana and Ohio State have played much better than everybody else to date," Illinois coach Bill Self said.\nO'Brien said the Buckeyes have to take advantage of the current stretch that they are in which includes five of six games at home. In February, Ohio State hits the road for four straight, including a Feb. 20 stop in Bloomington.\nThe Buckeyes have not spent much time on the road this season, but O'Brien knows that the Hoosiers' win at Iowa last Sunday was not a fluke.\n"Indiana is arguably the best team in the conference," O'Brien said. "I think those guys going anywhere and winning is not that much of a fluke."\nThe game will likely come down to whose defense is better Saturday. Davis will likely stick to his man-to-man defense. O'Brien will probably do the same, but he said he isn't afraid to throw in some zone when it's necessary, especially if the Hoosiers are shooting well early in the game.\n"We are predominately a man-to-man team but we do play some zone. Our best defense is our man-to-man," O'Brien said. "We've really emphasized, to a greater degree, playing together on the defensive end. We've guarded hard the entire season"